Condenser having increased pitch of flow



"Sept. 3, 1929. N 1"; 1,726,617

CONDENSER ruwmo INCREASED PHcH' OF FLOW Filed.Nov.'7, 1928 L N I III/5 Patented Sept. 3, 1 929 PATENT OFFICE.

NORMAN H. GAY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CONDENER' HAVING mcnmsnn PITCH orrnow. v

Application filed November 7, 1928. Serial a... 317,731.

This invention 'relates to condensers in.

outlet headers to provide for expansion andcontraction: while according to the present invention a gravitational fall is provided for the entire distance from the inlet to the outlet header so that liquid formed even at the inlet end of a condenser pipe has a free flow to the liquid header, and the pitch or fall of the condenser pipe is successively increased along its length, either with constant curvature or with curvature from point to point;

It has been found in practice that a condenser of this type, when employed 'for con-' densing the hot compressed gaseous refrigerant in a refrigerating system is highly efficient and results in the obtaining of condensing. temperatures which are closer to the wet-bulb temperature than can be gotten with general types of condensers.

A further advantage of such a construction is that by permitting the rapid flow of liquid it frees the pipes for the condensation of further gas.

Another advantage of the arrangement is that the head room required for the condenser is reduced by keeping the pitch at a minimum at the incoming end. I

An illustrative form, of the invention is se}t1 f(})lrth on the accompanying drawings, in

Fgure 1 is a side elevation of a condenserof the present type.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a view on a larger scale,'to conventionally show the increasing pitch from the hot gas header to the liquid header.

In these drawings, the hot gas header 10 has a hot compressed gas inlet connection 11 thereto, and the bottom is formed as an oil trap with an oil drain 12. A plurality of condensing pipes 13 are connected into the gas header at one end, and extend to and are connected into a liquid header 14'at the other end, this liquid header having an upper chamber to which is connected the purging pipe 15 for foul gas. 7 The lower end of the liquid header receives the condensed liquid and passes it to an outlet 16.

It is preferred to form the pipes 13 in loops and to provide them with the usual Water drip pipe or the like (not shown) for cooling them. The several pipes 13 1nay be supported by stands 17 from point to point.

As shown in Fig. 3, each of the pipes 13 has afree gravitational flow from its inlet end in the hot gasheader 10 to its outlet end in the liquid header 14. but the pitch for this flow is not uniform, and it successively increases toward the liquid header end. By way of. example, with a condenser pipe fifty feet long between headers, the first ten feet may have a pitch of one-sixteenth of an inch, the next ten feet a pitch of one-eighth of an inch, the center. ten feet a pitch of three-sixteenths of an inch, the next ten feet a pitch of three-eighths of an inch, and the last ten feet a pitch of five-eighths of an inch.

In operation as the hot gas enters a respective condenser pipe, it is cooled and deposits a quantity of liquid condensate which increases in volume along the length of the pipe. Since the heating effect at the inlet end of the condenser pipe, by reasonof the hot entering gas, is greater than the heating effect of the small quantity remaining of relatively cooler gas at the liquid header end, it is desirable to distribute the condensation along .the length of each of the condenser pipes, and for this purpose the increased pitch serves to carry the liquid ofi at a faster and faster rate, instead of permitting the liquid to accumulate, so to speak, andobstruct the .pipe at the lower end. The foul gas is likewise rapidly drawn ofi'and purged, and the pressure through the lengths of the several pipes are well balanced, and a much greater condensing eflect is obtained.

It is obvious that the invention is not limited to any specific conformation of the pipes or their arrangement in columns or tiers, but that the invention may be employed ing a free gravitationalflow of condensate throughout its length, the pitch of the pipe for said flow increasing successively from the inlet toward the outlet header.

- 2. In a, condenser, a hot gas inletheader, a liquid outlet header, and a condenser pipe connecting said headers, said pipe provid ing a free gravitational flow for a condensate from the inlet to the outletheader, the pitch of the pipe increasing successively from the 1 inlet to the outlet header in proportion to the condensation occurring in said pipe.

In testimony whereof, I

aflix my signature.

VJNORMAN H. GAY, 

